'Tempo' attack won't be the last, observer warns
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Journalists' associations and media observers have widely condemned Saturday's use of a mob to attack Tempo magazine's offices in a display of displeasure against an article in the magazine.
A media observer predicted that such attacks could become very common in the future.
The Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI) and the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) strongly condemned the Saturday morning attack, saying it was an attack against the press and freedom of information.
"Intimidation and violence against the press is intolerable. Use the right to respond or legal action instead of violence," the PWI said in a statement issued on Sunday.
Also on Sunday, the AJI demanded that police act resolutely to protect journalists as stipulated in Indonesia's press law, which grants them legal protection when doing their work.
On Saturday morning some 200 people attacked the Tempo offices in Central Jakarta demanding the retraction of an article that appeared in its March 3 edition about plans by businessman Tomy Winata to renovate the Tanah Abang market in Central Jakarta, which was gutted by fire last month.
The protesters said they were members of Tomy's Artha Graha Group and the Indonesian Young Bulls (BMI), a youth organization belonging to the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI {Perjuangan). One of the protesters, identified as Hamid al Hamid, said they were making the protest because "we live on Pak Tomy's money."
During the protest, they damaged the office building's gate despite the presence of dozens of police officers.
About a dozen protesters later held talks with Tempo editors Ahmad Taufik and Karaniya Dharmasaputra. The protesters tried to force Taufik to reveal the names of the sources quoted in the article about Tomy's Rp 53 billion (US$5.9 million) bid to renovate the market. However, as Taufik rejected the demand, one of the protesters got angry and threw a box at him.
To prevent further violence, the police invited the protesters, Taufik, Karaniya and Tempo chief editor Bambang Harymurti to the Central Jakarta Police station to try to settle the matter amicably.
However, Taufik and Bambang were attacked later by some protesters inside the Central Jakarta Police station before the two sides were due to hold a meeting.
Central Jakarta Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Sukrawardi Dahlan said that the police would take action if Tempo officially reported the attack.
"We have decided to settle the case in court," Bambang told The Jakarta Post separately on Sunday, saying that the magazine had actually arranged an interview with Tomy following a legal warning sent by Tomy's lawyers on March 7.
Tommy has denied involvement in the attack and said he knew nothing of the protest, although he admitted knowing the protesters.
Meanwhile, media observer Ashadi Siregar said that the deployment of mobs to attack media outlets would probably continue in the future because it was only the media that understood the meaning of press freedom.
"Most people here do not yet understand the concept of press freedom," Ashadi told the Post on Sunday, saying that this was the result of 32-years of authoritarian rule and military oppression.
While the military influence has weakened, the civilian government has failed to uphold the law of the land, and certain people resorted to brute force to express their criticism of the media, said Ashadi.
"In the name of religion, money, politics, or whatever, people will continue to use force against the press," Ashadi added.
The use of mobs against the media is nothing new here. AJI recorded that 47 out of 104 cases that threatened press freedom involved the use of mobs during the 2000-2001 period.